Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public land-grant research university located in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was established in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the country. After the Morrill Act was introduced in 1862, the state made the college a land-grant institution in 1863, making it the first land-grant college in the United States. The college became coeducational in 1870. Michigan State has facilities across the state and more than 550,500 alumni.
The university’s six professional schools include the College of Law (founded in Detroit in 1891 as the Detroit College of Law and moved to East Lansing in 1997), the Eli Broad College of Business, the College of Nursing, the College of Osteopathic Medicine (the world’s first state-funded osteopathic college), the College of Human Medicine, and the College of Veterinary Medicine. The university was among the first to study music therapy, packaging, hospitality business, supply chain management, and communication sciences.
Michigan State is a member of the Association of American Universities and is classified as an "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" institution. It is also considered a Public Ivy institution. According to Time magazine, the university ranks among the world’s top 100 institutions. The campus includes the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams, the W. J. Beal Botanical Garden, the Abrams Planetarium, the Wharton Center for Performing Arts, the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum, and one of the country’s largest residence hall systems.
University faculty, alumni, and affiliates include 1 Nobel laureate, 20 Rhodes Scholars, 20 Marshall Scholars, and 8 Pulitzer Prize winners. The Michigan State Spartans compete in the NCAA Division I Big Ten Conference. Spartan teams have won national championships in sports such as football, men’s basketball, ice hockey, and women’s cross country.
History
The College owes a great deal to John Clough Holmes. — Theophilus C. Abbot, third president of the State Agricultural College
In early 1855, John Clough Holmes, who worked for the agricultural society, helped convince the Michigan legislature to create a State Agricultural School. This school would be located within ten miles of Lansing, as chosen by the Michigan State Agricultural Society. On February 12, 1855, Governor Kinsley S. Bingham signed a law to establish the nation’s first agriculture college, called the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan. William J. Beal said Holmes was the most important person in helping the college start. A building named Holmes Hall, which is now part of the Lyman Briggs College, was named after him.
The State Board of Education was in charge of running the college. This same board also managed the Michigan State Normal School in Ypsilanti, which had opened in 1852. Classes began on May 13, 1857, with three buildings, five teachers, and 63 male students.
Joseph R. Williams, the first president, wanted the college to teach more than just farming. He believed students should learn many subjects, including science, math, and history. He said the college would teach subjects like English, science, chemistry, botany, geology, and more. From the start, the college offered a wide range of courses that matched the ideas of land-grant education later supported by the Morrill Act of 1862. The college aimed to prepare students to be informed citizens and skilled farmers.
However, after two years, Williams had disagreements with the State Board of Education. The board thought the college was not focused enough on farming and was too expensive. Some farmers even wanted the college to close. Williams left in 1859. The board then changed the program to a shorter, job-focused farming course. This caused fewer students to enroll, and the college struggled financially.
In 1860, Williams became acting lieutenant governor and helped pass the Reorganization Act of 1861. This law restored the college’s four-year program and allowed it to give master’s degrees. A new group called the State Board of Agriculture took over from the State Board of Education. The college was renamed State Agricultural College, and its first class graduated in 1861.
In 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Morrill Land-Grant Acts, which provided federal money to support similar colleges across the country. Soon after, on March 18, 1863, the state made the college its land-grant institution, making Michigan State University the first land-grant college in the nation. This federal funding saved the college from closing.
Even though the college was in a remote area during the 1800s, it gained a good reputation because of its graduates, many of whom became teachers or leaders at other land-grant colleges. The college focused on scientific farming, but its graduates worked in many different jobs.
The college first allowed women to enroll in 1870, but there were no dormitories for women. Female students stayed with faculty families or traveled by stagecoach from Lansing. Women took the same tough science and farming classes as men. In 1896, the college created a "Women Course" that combined home economics with science and liberal arts. That same year, the Abbot Hall dormitory was changed to house women.
The college admitted its first African American student, William O. Thompson, in 1899. After graduating, he taught at what is now Tuskegee University. A few years later, Myrtle Craig became the first African American woman student. In 1901, the college changed its name to Michigan Agricultural College.
During the early 1900s, Michigan Agricultural College added more subjects beyond farming. By 1925, it had grown enough to change its name to Michigan State College of Agriculture and Applied Science, or "Michigan State" for short. In 1941, John A. Hannah, who was the Secretary of the State Board of Agriculture, became president of the college.
After World War II, Hannah helped the college grow the most in its history, using the 1945 G.I. Bill, which helped veterans attend college. He built new dormitories and used the money from students to build more buildings. Under his plan, the number of students increased from 15,000 in 1950 to 38,000 in 1965.
In 1955, during the college’s 100th anniversary, the state officially called it a university, even though many believed it had been one for years. The college then became Michigan State University of Agriculture and Applied Science. In the 1950s, Michigan State University was a top example of colleges that had grown from farming schools into research universities. In 1957, Hannah helped start Oakland University, now called Oakland University, with Matilda Dodge Wilson. After the 1964 Michigan Constitution was passed, the college’s governing group was renamed the Michigan State University Board of Trustees.
MSU was connected to Oakland University from 1957 until 1970, when Oakland became an independent institution.
In September 2005, President Lou Anna Simon said Michigan State should be the best example of land-grant universities by 2012. Her plans included building a new residential college and increasing research funding from the National Institutes of Health to over $100 million. While there are more than 100 land-grant universities in the United States, she wanted Michigan State University to lead them.
Campus
Michigan State University's large campus is located in East Lansing, Michigan. The campus is on the banks of the Red Cedar River. Construction of the campus began in 1856 with three buildings: a building used for many purposes called College Hall, a dormitory later named "Saints' Rest," and a barn. Today, the connected campus covers 5,200 acres (2,100 hectares), with 2,000 acres (810 hectares) developed. There are 563 buildings: 107 for education, 131 for agriculture, 166 for housing and food service, and 42 for sports. The university has 22,763,025 square feet (2,114,754.2 square meters) of indoor space. The campus is connected by 60 miles (97 kilometers) of roads and 120 miles (190 kilometers) of sidewalks. The university manages over 26,000 acres of land across Michigan.
In early 2017, a $22.5 million solar project started at five parking lots on campus. The solar carport array covers five of the largest parking lots and provides space for 5,000 cars. The solar carports can produce up to 10.5 Megawatts of power and generate 15 million kilowatt-hours of energy each year, enough to power about 1,800 homes in Michigan. The project won an award at the Smart Energy Decisions Innovation Summit 2018 for being the largest carport solar array in North America.
Some land owned by MSU is in Lansing, Lansing Charter Township, Alaiedon Township, Delhi Charter Township, and Meridian Charter Township.
The oldest part of the campus is on the north bank of the Red Cedar River. It has Collegiate Gothic-style buildings, many trees, and roads with curved shapes. The first three buildings built here no longer exist. Other historic buildings north of the river include the president's official home, Cowles House, and Beaumont Tower, a clock tower with bells that marks the site of College Hall, the original classroom building. To the east is Eustace–Cole Hall, America's first freestanding horticulture laboratory. Other landmarks include a bronze statue of former president John A. Hannah, the W. J. Beal Botanical Garden, and a painted boulder called "The Rock," a popular spot for performances and events. On the northwest corner of the campus is the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center. The university also has two museums: the MSU Museum, which opened in 1857 and is one of the oldest museums in the Midwest, and the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum, designed by Zaha Hadid and opened in 2012. It displays art from local, national, and international artists and has over 10,000 works in its collection.
In recent years, the university has focused on reusing previously developed areas for new buildings while protecting green spaces. The STEM Teaching and Learning Facility, completed in 2021, was built on the site of a former coal plant and includes parts of the old structure. The Multicultural Center, completed in 2025, was built on a former parking lot. The Student Recreation and Wellness Center is being built on the site of the old Cherry Lane Apartments. Other projects include the Leinweber Center for Engineering and Digital Innovation, which will replace existing buildings. These efforts reflect the university’s strategy to reuse land and promote long-term sustainability.
The campus south of the river has mostly post-World War II buildings with a modern style, fewer trees, straight roads, and many parking lots. The "2020 Vision" Master Plan plans to replace some parking lots with parking ramps and green space, but these changes will take many years. As part of the plan, a new bronze statue of The Spartan was placed in 2005 at the intersection of Chestnut and Kalamazoo, just south of the Red Cedar River. This statue replaced an older terra cotta statue, which is now inside Spartan Stadium. Notable academic and research buildings on the South Campus include the Cyclotron, the College of Law, the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB), the Interdisciplinary Science and Technology Building, and the Broad College of Business.
This area also includes the MSU Horticulture Gardens and the 4-H Children's Garden. South of the gardens are the Canadian National and CSX railroads, which separate the main campus from thousands of acres of university-owned farmland. The university’s agricultural facilities include farms for horses, dairy cattle, beef cattle, swine, sheep, and poultry, as well as the Air Quality Control Lab and the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory.
The Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center is a full-service hotel and a business-friendly conference center. It is located on the northwest corner of the campus, across from the Brody Complex, on Harrison Road just south of Michigan Avenue. The hotel has 160 rooms and suites for visitors attending conferences, sporting events, or campus visits. In addition to being a hotel, it serves as a "learning laboratory" for students in The School of Hospitality Business and other programs. The hotel hosts conferences and seminars to support education.
MSU had a small campus in Dubai Knowledge Village, United Arab Emirates. It first offered a master’s program in human resources and labor relations. In 2011, it added a master’s program in Public Health. Previously, MSU had an education center in Dubai offering six undergraduate programs, making it the first American university in Dubai International Academic City. The program started with 100 students in 2007 but could not attract enough students to stay open. The campus closed in 2010.
MSU has a strong presence in downtown Detroit. This campus includes programs with the College of Education, Detroit Outreach Admissions, the MSU Community Music School of Detroit, and the Study of Active Neighborhoods in Detroit (StAND). In 2022, MSU partnered with Apple to create the Apple Developer Academy, which teaches students app development and business skills. In 2025, the two institutions announced the Apple Manufacturing Academy to train future U.S. manufacturers. In June 2023, MSU bought a
Admissions
Michigan State University uses a rolling admissions system, which means applications are reviewed as they are received. The early admission deadline is in October, and the university does not offer an early decision plan. According to the 2022 ranking by U.S. News & World Report, Michigan State was categorized as "more selective." For students starting in fall 2024, the university received 62,138 applications and accepted 52,690 (84.8%). Of those accepted, 9,625 students chose to enroll, which is a yield rate of 18.3%. The freshman retention rate at Michigan State is 91.4%, and 82.52% of students graduate within six years.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the university made testing optional for the fall 2021 incoming class. This policy continues through fall 2025. Of the 51% of enrolled freshmen in 2023 who submitted SAT scores, the middle 50% of composite scores ranged from 1110 to 1320. Of the 14% of incoming freshmen who submitted ACT scores, the middle 50% of composite scores ranged from 26 to 31.
Over recent decades, the number of applications to Michigan State has grown steadily. The number of applications more than doubled since the class of 2007, which received 24,436 applications. Michigan state law does not require public universities to reserve spots for Michigan residents.
Michigan State is one of seven college-sponsors of the National Merit Scholarship Program in the state, along with Michigan Technological University, Wayne State University, Kalamazoo College, Hillsdale College, Calvin University, and Hope College. In 2020, the university awarded 30 Merit Scholarships. During the 2020–2021 academic year, 38 first-year students were National Merit Scholars.
For fall 2024, the College of Law at Michigan State University received 1,359 applications and accepted 433 (31.86%). Of those accepted, 139 students enrolled, resulting in a yield rate of 32.1%. The middle 50% LSAT range for the 2024 first-year law class was 157–162.
Academics
In 2025, the Times Higher Education World University Rankings placed Michigan State University (MSU) at 105th in the world. In 2022, the Academic Ranking of World Universities ranked MSU 151st globally. Washington Monthly ranked MSU 43rd nationally in 2024. The 2025 QS World University Rankings listed MSU at 161st internationally. In its 2025–2026 edition, U.S. News & World Report ranked MSU tied for 29th best public university in the United States, tied for 64th nationally, and tied for 37th among best universities for veterans.
In its 2020 ranking, U.S. News & World Report listed several MSU graduate programs as number one in the country: elementary teacher education and secondary teacher education (number one for 26 years straight), African history (tied), curriculum and instruction (tied), industrial and organizational psychology, nuclear physics, rehabilitation counseling (tied), and supply chain management/logistics.
The Eli Broad College of Business was ranked 39th nationally for 2019–20 by Bloomberg Businessweek. Ninety-two percent of the school’s graduates received job offers in 2019. The latest U.S. News ranking placed MSU’s undergraduate and graduate supply chain management/logistics programs at first in the nation. Additionally, the Eli Broad College of Business undergraduate accounting program was ranked 22nd, the master’s accounting program was ranked 15th, and the doctoral program was ranked 18th, according to the 2018 Public Accounting Report’s Annual Survey of Accounting Professors. The MBA program was ranked 27th in the U.S. by Forbes magazine.
The College of Communication Arts and Sciences was established in 1955 and was the first of its kind in the United States. In 2007, The Chronicle of Higher Education ranked the college’s Media and Information Studies doctoral program number two in the category of mass communication. In 2005, the communication doctoral program was ranked number four in a separate category of communication, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education’s 2007 Faculty Scholarly Productivity Index.
The Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum is the university’s contemporary art museum.
The MSU Museum is the university’s oldest museum, founded in 1857. It is Michigan’s first Smithsonian Affiliate. The museum holds collections in anthropology, folklife, cultural heritage and history, mammalogy, ornithology, herpetology, ichthyology, and vertebrate paleontology.
Michigan State University Libraries have the 29th largest academic library system in North America, with over 4.9 million volumes and 6.7 million microforms.
The university has a long history of academic research and innovation. In 1877, botany professor William J. Beal performed the first documented genetic crosses to produce hybrid corn, which led to increased yields. In the 1930s, MSU dairy professor G. Malcolm Trout improved the process for the homogenization of milk, making it more commercially viable. In the 1960s, MSU scientists developed cisplatin, a leading cancer-fighting drug, and later created carboplatin, a derivative of cisplatin. Albert Fert, an adjunct professor at MSU, was awarded the 2007 Nobel Prize in Physics together with Peter Grünberg.
Michigan State continues its research with facilities such as the U.S. Department of Energy–sponsored MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory and a particle accelerator called the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory. The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science named Michigan State University as the site for the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) facility. Construction began in 2014 and was completed in 2022. The $730 million facility aims to attract top researchers worldwide to conduct experiments in basic nuclear science, astrophysics, and applications of isotopes to other fields.
In 2004, scientists at the cyclotron produced and observed a new isotope of the element germanium, called Ge-60. In the same year, Michigan State, in partnership with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the government of Brazil, broke ground on the 4.1-meter Southern Astrophysical Research Telescope (SOAR) in the Andes Mountains of Chile. The telescope allows the Physics & Astronomy department to study galaxy formation and origins. Since 1999, MSU has been part of a consortium called the Michigan Life Sciences Corridor, which aims to develop biotechnology research in the State of Michigan. The College of Communication Arts and Sciences’ Quello Center researches issues of information and communication management.
Michigan State, the University of Michigan, and Wayne State University created the University Research Corridor in 2006. This alliance was formed to strengthen Michigan’s economy by connecting businesses, policymakers, innovators, investors, and the public to speed up technology transfer, make resources more accessible, and attract new jobs to the state.
MSU’s (private, non-Morrill Act) endowment began in 1916, after the Engineering Building burned down. Automobile magnate Ransom E. Olds helped the program stay afloat with a gift of $100,000, equivalent to $2.96 million in 2025.
At one time, MSU had smaller endowment funds than other universities. In the early
Colleges
Michigan State University (MSU) offers more than 200 academic programs through 17 colleges that award degrees.
MSU's first residential college, Justin Morrill College, opened in 1965 and taught students a mix of different subjects. MSU closed Morrill College in 1979, but now the university has three residential colleges. The newest one, the Residential College in Arts & Humanities (RCAH), opened in 2005 and is located in Snyder and Phillips halls.
James Madison College, established in 1967, is a smaller residential college that teaches subjects like history, politics, and social studies. It is located in Case Hall. Classes have about 25 students each, and most teachers are full-time professors. James Madison College has around 1,150 students total, with about 320 new students each year. Students must complete two years of a foreign language and one semester of work experience, such as an internship or study abroad, to graduate. Though James Madison students make up about 4% of all MSU graduates, they account for around 35% of the university's Phi Beta Kappa members, an honor society for academic excellence.
Lyman Briggs College, also started in 1967, teaches math and science within the context of history, philosophy, and society. Many students plan to become doctors, but the college offers over 30 different majors, including computer science and human biology. Lyman Briggs is one of the few colleges that allows undergraduate students to work as "Learning Assistants," helping teach others.
The newest residential college is the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities (RCAH), which began in 2005. RCAH gives about 600 students a personalized education in subjects like art, music, and theater. All students earn the same degree, but MSU encourages them to complete a second degree or focus area. RCAH is located in Snyder-Phillips Hall, the same building where Justin Morrill College once operated.
The law school at MSU was founded in Detroit in 1891 as the Detroit College of Law. It moved to East Lansing in 1995 and became Michigan State University College of Law. Students come from 42 U.S. states and 13 countries. The law school publishes several legal journals and is home to the Geoffrey Fieger Trial Practice Institute, the first of its kind in the United States. In 2018, the university made the law school part of MSU, changing it from a private to a public institution. By 2020, the law school was fully integrated into the university.
The Eli Broad College of Business offers programs in accounting, marketing, finance, and other business fields. It has 2,066 undergraduate students and 817 graduate students. The Eli Broad Graduate School of Management was ranked 35th nationally and 14th among public schools in 2012. It offers MBA programs and joint degrees with the College of Law. The Eppley Center for Graduate Studies in Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Management is the first program in the U.S. to offer a Master of Business Administration in hotel and restaurant management.
The College of Nursing at MSU grants degrees in nursing, including bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate levels. It was founded in 1950 and has trained over 6,000 nurses. The college focuses on research, education, and practice and is located in the Life Sciences Building and Bott Building on campus. The dean of the college, Randolph Rasch, was asked by the governor in 2020 to help create training for healthcare workers to reduce bias in care.
The College of Osteopathic Medicine was the first publicly funded college in the world to teach osteopathic medicine. More than two-thirds of its graduates stay in Michigan to work. In 2008, the university approved plans to expand the college to two locations in southeast Michigan to help meet the need for more doctors. In 2016, the College of Osteopathic Medicine was ranked tied for 12th among U.S. medical schools for primary care, and the College of Human Medicine was ranked 70th.
The College of Human Medicine trains doctors and has seven campuses across Michigan, including East Lansing, Kalamazoo, and Grand Rapids. Each campus works with local hospitals and medical centers. The Grand Rapids campus has a new building, the Secchia Center, that helps grow the local healthcare industry.
MSU has taught veterinary science since its founding, but the College of Veterinary Medicine became a full four-year program in 1910. In 2011, the college was ranked No. 9 in the nation. It has over 170,000 square feet of space for teaching and research, including a veterinary hospital.
MSU’s music program has grown a lot in recent years. Enrollment increased by more than 97% between 1991 and 2004. In 2007, the university created the College of Music as a separate unit. The college faces challenges like limited space and funding but plans to continue placing about 25 graduates each year in university teaching jobs.
The College of Education offers degrees in teaching, counseling, and other education-related fields. Some of its programs are ranked in the top five in the U.S. by U.S. News & World Report. The college is located in Erickson Hall. MSU also offers an online Master of Arts in Educational Technology.
Founded in 1956, the MSU Honors College provides special programs for top undergraduate students. Though it does not offer its own majors, it has its own advisors to help students with their studies. High school students who start at MSU may join the Honors program.
Athletics
Michigan State University's NCAA Division I program offers 11 men's and 12 women's varsity sports. The teams are called the Spartans, use the school's colors of green and white, and have a mascot named Sparty, who is a Spartan warrior. The university is part of the Big Ten Conference for all varsity sports. J Batt is the current athletic director. He previously worked as vice president and director of athletics at Georgia Tech and started his role at Michigan State on June 2, 2025.
Michigan State has a long history of athletic success, including national championships in football, men’s basketball, ice hockey, and cross country. The football team has won multiple Big Ten titles and played in the College Football Playoff in 2015. The men’s basketball team, led by head coach Tom Izzo for many years, has won several Big Ten championships and made 28 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances. This includes multiple Final Fours and two national titles in 1979 and 2000.
The women’s athletic programs have also achieved success in many sports. The women’s basketball team has won multiple Big Ten titles and reached the Final Four in 2005. In 2014, the women’s cross country team won a national championship. Other programs, such as women’s soccer, gymnastics, and volleyball, have earned conference titles and made NCAA tournament appearances.
In 1888, Michigan State University (then called Michigan State Agricultural College) was one of the founding members of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA), the oldest athletic conference in the United States. Michigan State left the MIAA in 1907.
Football has been a major part of Michigan State’s history. It began as a club sport in 1884 and became a varsity sport in 1896. The Spartans won the Rose Bowl in 1954, 1956, 1988, and 2014. They also won national championships in 1951, 1952, 1955, 1957, 1965, and 1966. In 1967, four of the top eight players selected in the NFL/AFL draft were from Michigan State, a record that has never been matched by another college football program. As of 2020, Michigan State was one of only four schools to have at least one player selected in every NFL draft since 1967. The 2021 NFL Draft was the first since 1941 with no Michigan State players selected.
The men’s basketball team has won national championships in 1979 and 2000. Under head coach Tom Izzo, the team has made 28 straight NCAA tournament appearances. The Spartans play their home games at the Jack Breslin Student Events Center.
The men’s ice hockey team began in 1924 but became a varsity sport in 1950. The team has won national championships in 1966, 1986, and 2007. In 1987, the Spartans lost the national championship game to the North Dakota Fighting Hawks. The team plays at the Munn Ice Arena. Ron Mason, a former head coach, holds the record for the most wins in college hockey history (924 total, 635 at Michigan State). The current head coach is Adam Nightingale. The team competes in the Big Ten Conference and previously played in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA). Michigan State leads the CCHA in all-time wins, ranks second in conference championships (7), and is first in tournament championships (11). The rivalry with the University of Michigan’s Wolverines is well known. On October 6, 2001, the Spartans and Wolverines played in the "Cold War," a game attended by a record crowd of 74,554 fans at Spartan Stadium. In the 2006–2007 season, the Spartans defeated Boston College to win their third NCAA hockey championship.
Between World War I and World War II, Michigan State College competed in the Central Collegiate Conference, winning titles in 1926–1929, 1932, 1933, and 1935. The team also won 15 team titles in the IC4A at New York’s Van Cortlandt Park from 1933 to 1937, 1949, 1953, 1956–1960, 1962, 1963, and 1968. Since joining the Big Ten in 1950, Michigan State has won 14 men’s team titles (1951–1953, 1955–1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1970, and 1971). Michigan State hosted the first NCAA cross country championships in 1938 and every year through 1964 (no championship in 1943). The Spartans won NCAA championships in 1939, 1948, 1949, 1952, 1955, 1956, 1958, and 1959.
The men’s wrestling team won its only team NCAA championship in 1967. The current head coach is Roger Chandler, in his second season. The team competes at the Jenison Field House. Spartan Wrestling has produced over 50 Big Ten Conference champions, over 100 All-Americans, and 11 individual NCAA champions. Notable former wrestlers include Rashad Evans and Gray Maynard.
Student life
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East Lansing is a college town, with 63.5% of the population between the ages of 15 and 24. President John A. Hannah's efforts to expand in the 1950s and 1960s led to the largest residence hall system in the United States. Around 16,000 students live in MSU's 23 undergraduate halls, one graduate hall, and three apartment villages. Each residence hall has its own hall government, with representatives in the Residence Halls Association. Despite the size and extent of on-campus housing, the residence halls are complemented by a variety of housing options. 58% of students live off-campus, mostly in the areas closest to campus, in either apartment buildings, former single-family homes, fraternity and sorority houses, or in a co-op.
In 2014, there were approximately 50,085 students, 38,786 undergraduate and 11,299 graduate and professional. The students are from all 50 states and 130 countries around the world.
MSU tied for tenth place among universities with the largest student enrollment in the U.S. for fall 2018. For the fiscal year of 2018–19, the Office of the Registrar conferred 12,354 degrees. The student body is 52% female and 48% male. While 75.1% of students come from all 83 counties in the State of Michigan, also represented are all 50 states in the U.S. and 138 other countries.
In fall 2019, 5,660 international students enrolled at MSU, with the top five countries outside North America being China (2,965), India (506), South Korea (331), Saudi Arabia (222), and Taiwan (144). MSU's study abroad program included 2,805 total students in the 2017–2018 academic year, with 2,755 of those being MSU students. Based on 2017–2018 numbers, MSU studied abroad in over 60 countries on all continents, including Antarctica.
According to a Brookings Institution report analyzing foreign student visa approvals from 2008 to 2012, MSU once enrolled the highest number of Chinese international students in the United States, with roughly 4,700 Chinese citizens enrolled during the period of the study. MSU later saw decreased Chinese enrollment and lost its status as the top destination of Chinese students, which former Michigan Department of Education head Tom Watkins attributed to a ramp-up in anti-China rhetoric by then-president Donald Trump and changes in Chinese domestic conditions. MSU saw a roughly 25 percent drop in overall international enrollment in the first full academic year of the COVID-19 pandemic, but numbers had begun to rebound by the fall of 2021, with university officials expecting a full recovery by the 2022–2023 academic year.
Amid the fall of Kabul in August 2021, MSU, in concert with US Representative Elissa Slotkin, facilitated the evacuation of over 70 staff, scholars, and their families related to an MSU-USAID collaborative program in Afghanistan. Twelve of the Afghan evacuees attached to this program were students in the university's Grain Research and Innovation (GRAIN) project, hosted by Kabul University. Bypassing typical financial review procedures, university officials paid $250,000 on a university credit card for the emergency charter of an airplane to reunite evacuees in Albania. MSU facilitated the students' transfer to the Agricultural University of Tirana and then assisted in humanitarian parole into the United States in early 2022.
In February 2023, the Chinese Consulate-General in Chicago announced that two Chinese MSU students had been wounded in the 2023 Michigan State University shooting. Based on 2021 enrollment data from the university's international office, China was still likely the largest source of international students for MSU at the time of the shooting.
With over 3,000 members, Michigan State University's Greek Community is one of the largest in the US. Started in 1872 and re-established in 1922 by Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity, Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity, and Alpha Phi sorority; the MSU Greek system now consists of 55 Greek lettered student societies. These chapters are in turn under the jurisdiction of one of MSU's four Greek governing councils: National Panhellenic Conference, North American Interfraternity Council, National Pan-Hellenic Council, and Independent Greek Council. National Pan-Hellenic Council is made up of nine organizations, five fraternities and four sororities. The Interfraternity Council and the Women's Panhellenic Council are each entirely responsible for their own budgets, giving them the freedom to hold large fundraising and recruitment events. MSU's fraternities and sororities hold many philanthropy events and community fundraisers. For example, in April 2011 the Greek Community held Greek Week to raise over $260,000 for the American Cancer Society, and $5,000 for each of these charities: Big Brothers Big Sisters, The Listening Ear, and previous charities include: the Make-a-Wish Foundation (MSU Chapter), Share Laura's Hope, The Mary Beth Knox Scholarship, and the Special Olympics, in which fraternity and sorority members get to help each other participate.
The Associated Students of Michigan State University (ASMSU) is the all-university undergraduate student government of Michigan State University. It was unusual among university student governments for its decentralized bicameral structure, and the relatively non-existent influence of the Greek system. The structure has since changed to a single General Assembly as part of reorganization in the late 2000s. ASMSU representatives are nonpartisan and many are elected in noncompetitive races. Some services they offer include free blue books, low-cost copies and printing, free yearbooks, interest free loans, funding for student organizations, free legal consultation, and iClicker and graphing calculator rentals.
Students pay $21 per semester to fund the functions of the ASMSU, including stipends for the organization's officers and activities throughout the year. Some students have criticized ASMSU for not having enough electoral participation to gain a student mandate. Turnout since 2001 has hovered between 3 and 17 percent, with the 2006 election bringing out 8% of the undergraduate student body.
Student-run organizations beyond student government also have a large impact on the East Lansing/Michigan State University community. Student Organizations are registered through the Department of Student Life, which currently has a registry of over 800 student organizations.
The Eli Broad College of Business includes 27 student organizations of primary interest to business students. The three largest organizations are the Finance Association (FA), the Accounting Student Association (ASA), and the Supply Chain Management Association (SCMA). The SCMA is the host of the university's largest major specific career fair. The fair attracts over 100 companies and over 400 students each year.
Activists have played a significant role in MSU history. During the height of the Vietnam War, student protests helped create co-ed residence halls, and blocked the routing of Interstate 496 through campus. In the 1980s, Michigan State students convinced the university to divest the stocks of companies doing business in apartheid South Africa from its endowment portfolio, such as Coca-Cola. In 2011, a student group staged a large sit-in protest in the university President's office as the culmination of multiple years of attempting to convince the administration to transition from coal energy production to 100% clean energy. In 2019, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer joined the Lansing Women's March, standing with victims of sexual assault on campus. Following the February 13 shooting on campus which killed three students, a student group organized a peaceful protest on the steps of the Michigan State Capitol. This protest quickly led to new gun control bills being passed within the Michigan state legislature.
MSU has many student groups focused on political change. Graduate campus groups include the Graduate Employees Union.
Investment office
The Michigan State University Investment Office manages the university's endowment. Its goal is to help the endowment grow over time while reducing risks caused by changes in the market. The office was started in 2016 to combine the university's investment activities. In 2024, Philip Zecher led the office and was responsible for choosing outside investment managers and making sure the university's investment rules were followed. The office is located on the university's campus at 426 Auditorium Road, Room 412.
People
Michigan State University (MSU) has approximately 5,703 faculty members and 7,365 staff members.
Important leaders at the university in the 19th century included John C. Holmes, the founder; Joseph R. Williams, the first president; and Theophilus C. Abbot, the third president who helped the college recover after the Civil War. These individuals played key roles in creating and maintaining the college’s early balanced curriculum that combined liberal and practical subjects. William J. Beal, a botany professor, was an early scientist in plant genetics who supported using laboratories for teaching. Another notable faculty member was Liberty Hyde Bailey, an alumnus who helped make horticulture a science like botany, earning him the title "Father of American Horticulture." William L. Carpenter was a jurist who served in the Third Judicial Circuit of Michigan in 1894 and on the Michigan Supreme Court from 1902 to 1904. Other famous 19th-century alumni included Ray Stannard Baker, a journalist who won a Pulitzer Prize; Minakata Kumagusu, an environmental scientist; and William Chandler Bagley, an education reformer.
As of the fall of 2018, there were about 634,300 living MSU alumni worldwide. Notable politicians and public servants from MSU include current Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, former Michigan Governors James Blanchard and John Engler, U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow, Tim Johnson, and Spencer Abraham (who also served as Secretary of Energy), U.S. Ambassador to Brazil Donna Hrinak, former South Korean Prime Minister Lee Wan-koo, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Richard Cordray, former Jordan Prime Minister Adnan Badran, and Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court Wallace B. Jefferson. Wealthy donors such as Tom Gores, Andrew Beal, and Eli Broad, Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Richard Ford, labor union leader James P. Hoffa, and Quicken Loans founder and billionaire Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert are also MSU alumni.
MSU alumni in Hollywood include actors such as James Caan, Anthony Heald, Robert Urich, and William Fawcett; voice actor SungWon Cho; comedian Jackie Martling; film directors Michael Cimino and Sam Raimi; film producer Jeff Katz; film editor Bob Murawski; and screenwriter David Magee. Composer Dika Newlin earned her undergraduate degree from MSU, while lyricist, theatrical director, and clinical psychologist Jacques Levy earned a doctorate in psychology. The university has also produced famous jazz musicians such as pianist Henry Butler, vibraphonist Milt Jackson, and keyboardist/composer-arranger Clare Fischer.
Russell Kirk, whose writings influenced the American conservative movement, attended MSU on a scholarship for his bachelor’s degree. Journalists include NBC reporter Chris Hansen, ESPN sportcaster and columnist Jemele Hill, AP White House correspondent Nedra Pickler, and NPR Washington correspondent Don Gonyea. Novelist Michael Kimball graduated in 1990. Novelist and true crime author R. Barri Flowers, who earned a bachelor’s degree in 1977 and a master’s degree in criminal justice in 1980, was inducted into the MSU Criminal Justice Wall of Fame in 2006. Author Erik Qualman graduated with honors in 1994 and was also Academic Big-Ten in basketball. Susan K. Avery, the first female president and director of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, received an MSU bachelor’s degree in physics. Two of the Little Rock Nine, Ernest Green (the first Black student to graduate from Little Rock Central High School) and Carlotta Walls LaNier, attended MSU. The university awarded an honorary degree to Robert Mugabe in 1990 but revoked it in 2008.
MSU alumni have made their mark in major American sports. NBA alumni include point guard and three-time MVP Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Greg Kelser, Jay Vincent, Steve Smith, Scott Skiles, Jason Richardson, and Zach Randolph. NFL alumni include Carl Banks, a member of the Giants teams that won Super Bowls XXI and XXV and a member of the NFL’s 1980s All-Decade Team; twenty-one-year veteran quarterback Earl Morrall; defensive end and actor Bubba Smith; former Detroit Lions head coach Wayne Fontes; NFL games-played leader Morten Andersen; Plaxico Burress; Andre Rison; Derrick Mason; Muhsin Muhammad; T. J. Duckett; Flozell Adams; Julian Peterson; Charles Rogers; and Jim Miller. The American Football League’s All-Time Team includes tight-end Fred Arbanas and safety George Saimes.
Former MSU players in the National Hockey League include All-Star defensemen Duncan Keith, Rod Brind’Amour, Anson Carter, Donald McSween, Adam Hall, John-Michael Liles, Justin Abdelkader, Corey Tropp, brothers Kelly Miller and Kip Miller, and their cousins, brothers Ryan Miller and Drew Miller. Former MSU players in Major League Baseball include Hall of Fame inductee Robin Roberts, Kirk Gibson, Steve Garvey, and Mark Mulder. Olympic gold medalists include Savatheda Fynes and Fred Alderman. The Spartans also contribute athletes to Major League Soccer, including Doug DeMartin, Dave Hertel, Greg Janicki, Rauwshan McKenzie, Ryan McMahen, and Fatai Alashe. Alex Skotarek, Steve Twellman, and Buzz Demling played in the North American Soccer League, with Demling also playing in the 1972 Summer Olympics and the United States Men’s National Soccer Team in the 1970s.
Ryan Riess, the 2013 World Series of Poker Main Event Champion, is a 2012 graduate of MSU. NCAA Gymnastics Champion and former Sesame Street Muppet performer Toby Towson, as well as professional wrestler George "The Animal" Steele, are also MSU alumni. Miss America 1961, Nancy Fleming, is a graduate of Michigan State.
Verghese Kurien, an Indian social entrepreneur known as the "Father of the White Revolution" for his Operation Flood, the world’s largest agricultural development program, earned a Master of Science in Metallurgical Engineering from MSU in 1948. Peter Schmidt, an economist and econometrician, is both an alumnus (1970)
References
- Among students who chose to submit